coming up on "early today," national champions for the fifth time. >> three seconds. going to run out of time. the blue devils are the national champions of 2015. >> coach k is now second only to the legendary john wooden. back home in durham students celebrated at duke campus through the night. in new york, an isis recruitment ring is busted by the feds. the boston marathon bombing trial is in the hands of the jury. >> attacked christie brinkley. and a shark attack survivor lives to tell his tale. "early today" starts right now.

>> good morning, i'm milissa rehberger. the duke blue devils are national champions but they had to claw back from a nine-point deficit to get there after an opening ceremony that included an eagle flying right through lucas oil stadium. two number one teams. and wisconsin came out swinging with dekker and kaminsky. the duke freshman stole the show grayson allen and tyus jones, okafor including three-pointers by allen. >> jones at the three. tyus jones launches the three. >> kind of came down to a final attempt by wisconsin. >> three seconds. he's going to run out of time. the blue devils are the national champions.

>> this win gives duke coach krzyzewski fifth national title. he's only behind john wooden who has 10. on twitter madison wisconsin police showed appreciation for a subdued night tweeting state street now clear. thanks badger fans for mostly good behavior. in durham, a bit of a different scene. campus made a bonfire as blue devils fans celebrated their status as national champions. even mitt romney one of the best known financial 1 percent percenters, march madness 89 percentile picked six of the elite eight, nailed all final four picks including duke winning it all. in response he tweeted, should have put $10,000 on my bracket. congrats coach k and duke u. must be nice. isis recruiting in america now a case in new york tried to

help isis. prosecutors charging a fourth person connected with a group supposedly tried to provide material support to the terrorist network. in february three men, two of them seen here in court drawings were arrested for plotting to join isis. their lawyers say they are innocent. this morning there are charges against a fourth person who allegedly collected money for them to use in syria. the new defendant is expected to be arraigned tomorrow. later today, the jury will begin its deliberations in the boston marathon bombing trial. dzhokhar tsarnaev faces 30 criminal counts 17 of those could bring the death penalty. chris pollone live in boston. the jury's debate isn't about if tsarnaev had a part by why. >> that's been the case every since the trial began a little over a month ago when they admitted tsarnaev took part in the bombing. now the question goes to the jury. today seven women and five men

begin deciding whether tsarnaev is legally responsible forth boston marathon bombing and its aftermath. what they decide could launch another trial with his life hanging in the balance. as jurors review the testimony of 95 witnesses and dozens of exhibits attorneys have already begun outlining their cases for the next phase of the trial, that will decide whether dzhokhar tsarnaev will live or die. both sides agree he took part in the bombing, shooting of a police officer but disagree how involved tsarnaev truly was. the government told jurors he brought terror to main street placing a bomb in a backpack fiscal year women and children. one who died in the blast. tsarnaev so committed to jihad he calmly bought milk moments after the attack and wrote a manifesto explaining his actions before being captured. defense attorney judy clarke told jurors tsarnaev stands ready to be held responsible but

argued his older brother tamerlan who planned the attack and researched and bought bomb components. if not for tamerlan it would not have happened. >> it was a crime halves proven quite clearly in all aspects, in terms of the involvement of these individuals. so i don't suspect there's going to be any real difficulty in a jury reaching the verdict on many charges. >> in prosecutor's eyes and words to the jury, tsarnaev was a full participant and co-conspirator with his older brother. the defense argues he was a teen afraid of letting tamerlan down. we'll soon know which version the jury believes. tsarnaev faces 30 counts 17 of them could bring the death penalty. so if the jury convicts him on any one of those death pemt counts it will launch the death penalty phase of this trial. live in boston chris pollone. milissa, back to you. >> chris, thank you. also in massachusetts closing arguments set to begin in the murder trial of former new england patriots player aaron hernandez.

he's accused of killing odin lloyd who was shot six times at an industrial park less than a mile from hernandez home. the defense rested its case yesterday after calling witness compared to 131 called by prosecution. a survivors story. what would you do if you were attacked by a shark. you might want to ask rick newman of west palm beach, florida. he survived a bull shark attack 40 feet under way while spear fishing two miles off the jupiter inlet. >> i think the shark got confused and he just lashed out and hit me like a freight train. i knew i was bleeding a lot and i felt around and knew my ear was hanging off. >> he was airlifted to a hospital. 200 stitches later and as you can see, with his ear reattached, newman knows just how lucky he is. >> i'm just thankful i didn't lose any parts and i'm here to tell the story. >> well you can use social

media for just about anything these days. in new york a woman is using facebook to get divorced. the woman says she and her now estranged husband tied the knot in 2009. now they have separated. he is not sharing address and the only way to get in touch with him is through social media so she has hired a lawyer. in a landmark ruling a judge has given her permission to serve her husband through a facebook message. this morning senator rand paul expected to announce his plans to run for president in 2016. he posted this message on twitter late monday writing, "we must take our country back. stay tuned april 7th at noon." new overnight, arizona senator john mccain told nbc news in an exclusive interview that he plans to pursue a sixth term on capitol hill. he tells nbc, i am ready. i am more than ready. in some ways i am eager. nbc's tracie potts live in washington. tracie looks like the 2016

campaigns are picking up. >> they are shaking up. mccain is staying here and rand hoping to move on. first hints on twitter and youtube video that we just saw overnight. now the official announcement expected to come from his home state of kentucky by lunchtime today announce thanksgiving he'll run for president in 2016. then it's off campaigning. he's headed to nevada and new hampshire and south carolina and iowa all early primary and caucus states. his father ran three times. he now plans to run for president. his biggest challenge may be within the party, holding onto his libertarian base and gaining the more conservative republican base. now, ted cruz has already put his hat in the ring officially. hillary clinton is expected to announce soon. maybe in the next week or so. she's already rented office space. marco rubio of florida, senator from florida, could announce sometime in the next week also. >> thank you, tracie. nbc meteorologist bill karins

here with a stormy forecast for the west coast. is that right? >> finally rain coming in overnight. great news. umbrellas needed in and around san francisco, some of the steadiest rains we've seen. this storm is going to slowly move through. fringe effect pushing northern california. the radar you can see. this is really nice. a half inch of rain will be produced especially into the higher elevations move inland. as the storm kicks on through the day today, we may get instability with showers and thunderstorms, maybe even small hail. here is how we are 9:00 a.m. today. some blue showing where snow will be at the higher elevations, rain around sacramento, ending in san francisco. as we go through 6:00 p.m. tuesday, 6:00 p.m. shows you some thunderstorms. san francisco to sacramento. as far as the snow goes even some snow in northern nevada by the time we get to 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. as far as snow amounts, pink shading as much as 12 to 18 inches of snow high 2 feet.

greens and yellows showing you half inch to an inch of rain. winter storm warnings at the highest elevation. a little bit but we like south as los angeles but not a lot and not much further south. so it's pretty much in and out. there's no signs of rain after this. suck up as much as we can. >> all right, bill. thank you. supermodel christie brinkley is attacked by birds and we have the photos. plus would you drive a car designed to avoid a collision? next.

on the west coast, a region crippled by doubt facing a new danger, high temperatures, low humidity in a frightening fire season ahead. nbc national correspondent

miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: firefighters called it the year of the firestorm. 2014. millions of acres were destroyed as hundreds of homes across the west went up in flames. this year the outlook is even more dire. the forecast calling for bigger more explosive fires fueled by conditions not seen in decades. >> the drought is affecting rates of fire spread fuel moistures. it's just incredible and it's just not getting any better. >> reporter: assistant chief worked this san diego hillside when it became a blow torch last year. we were there as fire devoured these drought-stricken hills. this is the frontline. this year the front lines will be everywhere. firefighters say what didn't burn last year is ready to go this year. miguel almaguer nbc news san diego. >> some other stories we're

following. supermodel christie brinkley is a bit worse for wear after trying to save a bird on vacation. she posted photos to instagram from miami hospital showing her black eye. all things considered a big oops moment jeb bush listed himself as hispanic on a voter form, a 2009 voter registration where he was previously governor. the likely 2016 presidential candidate said it was just a mistake. his wife born in mexico lived in venezuela in his 20s and speaks fluent spanish as jimmy fallon pointed out last night on "the tonight show." >> jeb bush facing criticism after it was revealed he checked off his race as hispanic on a voter registration form in 2009. he when asked if he regrets it now, he said si. >> want to lose wait jenny craig or weight watchers.

dieters using weight watchers lost 16% more than diet education or behavioral counseling. dieters on jenny craig lost weight. which is better. although jenny craig might trim more pounds they picked weight watchers for being the most cost effective. >> "early today" is brought to you by vagisil, the experts in intimate health. now let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> hey milissa, good morning. starbucks claims to expand its college program for employees to cover the entire cost of getting an online bachelor's degree. the coffee giant launched the program with arizona state university. it was previously limited to juniors and seniors looking to complete their degrees. kfc chasing millennials with fewer bubts and more bowls, rolling out two new chicken and rice barbecue and texas mexico aimed at younger customers with

new tastes and ingredients. all part of kfc's popular $5 fill-up menu. bmw wants to make its cars crash proof as possible. new technology uses laser systems to keep track of stationary objects around the car such as walls and columns and will automatically hit the brakes before any collision. milissa, back to you. >> landon thank you. just ahead a-list celebrity turning private island into a resort. dirk nowitzki channels his inner kid on a carousel.

now to sports with my friend betty nguyen. good morning, betty. >> good morning, milissa. let's start with mlb opening day. red sox go big against phillies. top of the first pedroia nailed solo shot into left field for early lead. boston up 2-0 in the fifth. pedroia, again, with a shot to the bleachers. two batters later ramirez joins the homer club to give boston a 4-0 lead. he is not done yet. >> ramirez drives it to left field deep and far and that's all, it's going to be gone off the foul pole. grand slam for ramirez.

>> play of the day, shut out in the fifth. check out celebratory dance moves in the dugout. a generous gesture by westbrook, he surprised a single mom with a new car. that car awarded for winning title at the all-star game but decided to pay it forward. what a nice guy. here is a fight that you simple-- here is a sight you simply cannot unsee. what in the world? mavs star dirk nowitzki enjoying a ride on a carousel at six flags. somehow all 7 foot of him was able to fit onto that ride. perhaps the cutest basketball player you have ever seen. two adorable bears caught playing with a basketball at a national park in alaska. bears just want to have fun, right? milissa, back to you. >> just ahead. thank you, betty.

"star wars" fans stick around big big news from a place far away. you're watching "early today."

good news for "star wars" fans. the sixth film series is coming to digital for the first time ever. each movie will come with new or never before scene content. all six hd films will be available individually or as a collection beginning on friday. and continuing the good news for you sci-fi fans a live long and

prosper hand symbol emoji spotted in a test version for apple operating systems. the timing of the release could be a tribute to the late leonard nimoy. >> can you do it? >> i can't. >> you can't? >> i see you doing it over there. i'm impressed. leonardo dicaprio and a financial partner bought 104 acres offer the coast of belize. they plan to create ecoconscious resort. will feature $15 million villas infinity pool and lighting that encourages sleep. >> lighting? >> sesame street has done yet another funny parody. the show took on "game of thrones" playing a medieval game of chairs. you are watching "early today."

leading the news from nbc new york rutgers bans fraternity, sorority parties for the remainder of the semester. they're all being forced to hold their gatherings off campus or face discipline. this after a rutgers student died of alcohol poisoning following a frat house party in september. a hollywood reporter a scary lucille ball artist apologizes. it is by far the most unsettling sculpture. >> how do you put that in public. >> in her hometown upset locals. you can probably see why. >> wouldn't you ask one person how do you think it looks before you put it in town? >> 400 pounds of copper. it inspired a facebook group. locals are upset.

they are dedicated to the removal of this. the artist has said he's willing to fix it for free. >> someone paid for it. >> some other stories we're following. a tragedy in maryland. a father and his seven children ages 6 to 15 found dead inside their home. reports say carbon monoxide poisoning is expected. the power had been cut off and a generator used inside the home. next in bird napping in dallas. surveillance camera captured a man grabbing a wild peacock on camera and rode off wit. the neighbors are hoping they identify the thief because they really want it returned in harmed. a couple of moments during easter egg roll. president obama showed off moves, you think you can dance. president obama had his own special moment. take a look. >> you see it?

oh no it's a geese. that's okay guys. >> some bees made an appearance at the easter egg roll. it can be heard while president obama trying to read "where the wild things are." the laughter. >> at one point, let's just advance the book. >> he's telling everybody the bees won't hurt them. i don't think they are having it. >> the kids are cute. the president is like bees don't worry about it. let's go. >> now a look ahead. voters head to the polls in chicago in ferguson, missouri. chicago mayor rahm emanuel facing run overagainst challenger jesus garcia. voters in missouri will choose new councilmembers. the first election since police shooting death of michael brown. happy birthday to actor russell crow who is 51 years old today. jackie chan turns 61 and legendary director francis ford coppola is 76. i'm milissa rehberger, thank you for watching "early today."

have a great tuesday.

." good tuesday morning. it's 7:30. i'm sam brock. >> i'm kris sanchez. we'll take a life look at fremont where there's some wind out there this morning. also some rain. here's what it looked like outside at&t park a few hours ago. you can see our camera getting a little wet. our meteorologist christina loren is tracking the weather. >> this is probably going to lead to a slower than normal drive to work. the good news is we're actually getting rich moisture across the bay area. overnight, we had quite a bit of lightning firing